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Plano takeaways pace 38-0 shutout of Panthers
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@acnpapers.com
Historically, there hasn’t been a whole lot separating the head-to-head rivalry between the Plano Senior and Plano East football teams.
Entering the 29th installment of the schools’ rivalry on Friday with East holding a slim 14-13-1 all-time lead is all the proof that’s needed on the disparity between the two teams.
That margin has yet again closed to a 14-14-1 gridlock, but drawing that stalemate required anything but a nip-and-tuck showing from Clark Stadium on Friday.
“I was proud that we won, but I was more proud of how we won,” said Jaydon McCullough, Plano head coach. “We won it the right way. We were the more disciplined team and the more physical team.”
But despite the emphatic victory, the Wildcats still find themselves outside of the District 8-5A playoff picture. By virtue of Hebron’s stunning road upset of Allen, the Hawks maintain a tie for third place at 4-2. But the Wildcats are still in position to overtake Hebron, should they defeat Plano West and the Hawks lose to Flower Mound Marcus.
Getting to that scenario required Plano besting its city rival in the game’s fourth shutout and Plano’s first since 1983.
Doing so meant adhering to one of the team’s strengths this season: it’s ability to force turnovers.
The Wildcats managed that on five occasions, snagging two interceptions and recovering three fumbles; four of which led to possessions that began in East territory.
“The turnovers were the impact plays,” said Johnny Ringo, East head coach. “Give [Plano] credit, but the turnovers put our defense in a bind too many times.”
Amid those was an inopportune fumble lost by East junior Corey Wesley, blasted by unblocked senior Collin Brence as Plano recovered the ball inside the 5-yard line midway through the third quarter. One play later, senior Murat Kuzu found the end zone from 5 yards out for a 24-0 Plano edge.
The aforementioned turnover was forced a mere 45 seconds after the Wildcats converted a 20-yard field goal by senior Chris Moore; a score that capped a 13-play drive that drained the first seven minutes of the third quarter.
Plano would force another turnover before quarter’s end, intercepting senior backup quarterback Aaron Stelly -- who took over after Wesley suffered an ankle injury – when a pass slipped through senior Gabe Dunlap’s hands and into the waiting arms of senior Blair Burns. Needing only two plays to balloon its lead, senior quarterback Connor Michelsen snuck the ball through from 1-yard out for a 31-0 edge.
All the Panthers could do was watch on, possessing the ball for roughly two-and-a-half minutes and having just seven third-quarter yards to show for it.
While a short field was Plano’s friend for most of the night, the Wildcats managed to stretch the field on their next drive with Michelsen finding senior Brandon Hamilton one-on-one downfield for a 55-yard touchdown reception and a 38-0 Plano edge, the game’s eventual final, early in the fourth quarter.
Michelsen’s line was capped at 138 yards on 8-for-12 passing and four total touchdowns, with Kuzu piling up 73 yards on 18 carries plus a touchdown.
“Murat’s one of those guys who is a lot faster and quicker than he looks,” McCullough said. “He’s also one of those guys who’s very, very physical and he’s got a heart the size of Clark Stadium.”
While the turnovers effectively sealed the outcome for the Wildcats, East’s wheels steadily began to come loose early in the second quarter following a scoreless gridlock of an opening frame.
Stymied for just one first down in the first quarter, the Wildcats dug deep into their playbook as a handoff to Kuzu was dumped off to Hamilton, who slung a lateral back to Michelsen, who then found senior Steele Hoetger streaking down the middle of the field.
One 49-yard connection later, Hoetger, who totaled a team-best 62 receiving yards on the night, beat out East senior Dionte Taylor and junior Corey Bassett to the end zone for the first score of the evening.
The Panthers’ next series was a prelude of things to come, as it was an interception by senior Matt Johnson, who also recovered a Stelly fumble in the fourth quarter, to cut off a look from Wesley to junior Dante Taylor that further swung momentum in Plano’s favor.
An ensuing pair of carries by Kuzu put the Wildcats within earshot of their second score in three minutes, with Michelsen sealing the deal on a 2-yard sneak to up the ante to 14-0.
It was Plano’s opportunism that won out through one half, as the Panther offense leaned heavily on Dunlap to find a rhythm. With the wide out used in all facets of the game, Dunlap sealed handoffs from Wesley, took direct snaps, caught his usual array of passes and even attempted a late pass to senior Ryan Garrey to amass eight carries for 60 yards and five receptions for 56 yards on the night.
“I think we had to use Dunlap a bit more than we had in the past because of Corey’s ankle and him being hurt,” Ringo said. “He wasn’t at full speed, so at that time we were just trying to find something that would work.”
Any other momentum attempted by East was largely bottled up, as the Panthers running game never got off the ground, managing just 137 yards.
Hebron’s win also dissolved any hopes East had of sneaking into the district’s final playoff spot. Now, the Panthers play for pride in their season finale on Friday as they travel to meet Lewisville at 7:30 p.m. Maintaining its playoff hopes, Plano will joust opposite another rival in West from Clark Stadium at the same time.
“You’ve got to be able to peak at the right time,” McCullough said, “and I think you can see we’re starting to do that.”
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